Elizabeth

From Sunny Southern CA

Just my 2 cents. Ironing is imperative to piecing correctly. When the seams are flat, the next piece goes on so smoothly and flat. Pressing is also very, very important to squaring up your blocks and quilts. I also like to press seams to the dark fabric along with the nesting issue as previously posted.

I always press the seams but sometimes I press them open rather than in the direction recommended in the pattern. I like the way the seam lies flat with it pressed open. It makes the pieces truer to size for me. I read once that pressing the seam to one direction is good if you're going to stitch in the ditch.

sometimes i iron and sometimes i don't. if your piecing is precise it doesn't matter. fussing with which way the seam is laying is too much for me to bother with most of the time, occasionally i pay attention. so far no one has complained about my lack of seam pressing, and it doesn't seem to bother judges cause i 've gotten blue ribbons. a lot of times i will iron a seam one direction and then need it to go the other way when i am putting block together. then i need to repress the awkward seam. mostly i don't worry about it. i iron half square triangles, to keep them from closing when i am piecing. log cabins, i iron when they are finished.

sometimes i iron and sometimes i don't. if your piecing is precise it doesn't matter. fussing with which way the seam is laying is too much for me to bother with most of the time, occasionally i pay attention

Gini, I am so glad to hear that. I try to be careful with seams and directions but often I just wing it.

marie, if your seam allowances show through, i think they look better all the same way, but if you can't see the seam allowance, i have half of it going one way and half the other. you're the only one who will know.

marie, if your seam allowances show through, i think they look better all the same way, but if you can't see the seam allowance, i have half of it going one way and half the other. you're the only one who will know.

Gini, thanks for letting me off the hook with the quilt police as that's exactly what I have ended up doing. I press so the seam going in opposite directions is nice and flat. It gets to be a problem when stitching in the ditch though.